More than 500 people gathered in the village of Kazatkom this Monday, blaming the Chechens for recent outbreaks of violence.
Photo: Rafael Balgin
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3 Killed, Scores Wounded in Ethnic Shoot-Outs in Kazakhstan
At least three people died and scores were injured in clashes between Chechens and Kazakhs outside Kazakhstan’s capital of Almaty in the past few days. Kazakh authorities, however, blame opposition forces for presenting the conflict as an ethnic one. Violence reached its high when the Kazakh president was on a visit in Russia.
Violence first broke two weeks ago in the village of Kazatkom in Almaty Region. Two friends, a Chechen and a Kazakh, got drunk and had a fight which was soon followed by acts of revenge from the Chechen man’s family, according to Akhmed Muradov, spokesman of the Chechen community in Kazakhstan. Later, a crowd of Kazakh youths took to the streets, burning cars, beating Chechens and throwing Molotov cocktails to houses of Chechens.
A few days later the conflict resumed when a young Chechen was beaten in a local night club. Several Kazakhs and Chechens were wounded in the shoot-out.
More than 500 people gathered in Kazatkom this Monday, blaming the Chechens for the outbreaks of violence. The crowd marched through the village, burning cars and throwing Molotov cocktails. Police needed a few hours to quench the fight and shoot-out which left one Chechen and two Kazakhs dead. Scores were wounded.
Violence spread to nearby villages with significant Chechen population. Several houses were burnt down in the village of Malovodnoe, Akhmed Muradov reported. Special police forces are now maintaining order in the area. Mr. Muradov emphasized that the Chechens have no intensions of leaving the country. “About 30,000 Chechens live in Kazakhstan. All of them are Kazakh citizens enjoying full rights,” he told Kommersant.
Police is currently working with both Chechens and Kazakh to settle the dispute. Authorities deny any ethnic motives in the crime, saying that opposition forces are trying to make it look an ethnic conflict. Officials underscore that violence was timed to the visit of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev to Russia.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 21, 2007
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